Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 45 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

কনক-কেতকী রাই,        শ্যাম মরকত কাঁই,

দরপ-দরপ করু চুর ।

নটবর-শেখরিণী,        নটিনীর শিরোমণি,

দুঁহু গুণে দুঁহু মন বুর ॥ ৪৫ ॥

kanaka-ketakī rāi,        śyāma marakata kāñi,

darapa-darapa karu cura |

naṭabara-śekhariṇī,        naṭinīra śiromaṇi,

duṅhu guṇe duṅhu mana bura || 45 ||

Śrī Rādhā’s complexion is like a golden ketakī flower; Śyāma’s is like an emerald. Together, they crush Kandarpa’s pride. She is the crest-jewel of the great dancer Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and he is the crest-jewel of the great dancer Śrī Rādhā. The mind of each is submerged in the virtues of the other.

Yugala-Mādhurī

Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s mystic vision, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, bearing boundless mādhurya, are standing before his eyes. In the form of Campaka Mañjarī, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya relishes yugala-mādhurī-rasa, and through poetic verse he has revealed a little of his memory of that experience. First, he says, kanaka-ketakī rāi, śyāma marakata kāñi, darapa-darapa karu cura. Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s complexion is like a golden ketakī flower. He uses the words kanaka-ketakī to give the people of the world a little idea of her boundless beauty. Actually, the splendor of her mahābhāva has no comparison in this world. In his book Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhānidhi, Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda has written, kāntiḥ kāpi mahādbhutā. Śrī Rādhā’s bodily luster is most wonderful. Sometimes it is said, kāntiḥ kāpi parojjvalā. Her radiance is indescribably brilliant. It should be understood that the word parojjvalā means that nothing of this world has such radiance. It is also sometimes said, gātre koṭi-taḍic-chavi. Śrīmatī’s body is more luminous than countless bolts of lightning. The brilliance of only one bolt of lightning dazzles the eyes. How could one’s eyes bear the brilliance of millions of lightning bolts? Such a question may arise because the word chavi has been used instead of dyuti. The meaning is that although the luster of her prema is extremely intense, it does not dazzle the eyes. The mādhurī of that effulgence cools or refreshes the eyes because it is in no way an altered form of some worldly radiant substance. It is rather a profound expression of mahābhāva.

  Then, when describing Śyāma’s bodily luster, he said, śyāma marakata kāñi. The word kāñi means kānti, or splendor, signifying that Śyāmasundara’s complexion is like an emerald. As before, this is only an attempt to give a little idea of his beautiful dark complexion. The mahājana Govinda Dāsa has sung, kubalaya nīla-ratana, dalitāñjana megha-puñja, jini baraṇa suchānda. When one continually sees worldly forms, one becomes indifferent to them; but Kṛṣṇa’s form causes longing to awaken. Specifically, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incomparable form of condensed joy is always filled with fresh delight. Kṛṣṇa’s complexion has been likened to the deep, dark hue of a sapphire, crushed collyrium or a mass of clouds. However, when Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s golden luster enters into that profoundly dark color, it causes his complexion to shine like a lighter-hued emerald.

  After that, he says, darapa-darapa karu cura, meaning, “who crush Kandarpa’s pride.” kandarpo darpako’naṅga ity amaraḥ. In the Amarakoṣa dictionary, we see that Darpaka is one name for Kandarpa, the god of love. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa is with Śrī Rādhārāṇī, he enchants this god of love in endless ways: rādhā-saṅge yadā bhāti tadā madana-mohanaḥ (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam).

caḍi gopī-manorathe,        manmathera mana mathe,

nāma dhare madana-mohana |

jini pañcaśara-darpa,        svayaṁ naba-kandarpa,

rāsa kare lañā gopī-gaṇa || 

  “When Śrī Kṛṣṇa mounts the chariots of the gopīs’ hearts and churns the mind of the god of love, he bears the name Madana-Mohana. Having crushed the pride of this five-arrowed* god of love, he himself becomes the new Kandarpa and dances with the gopīs.” (Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 21.107)

  Madana’s pride has been thoroughly crushed during the rāsa-līlā. At the beginning of his commentary on the rāsa-līlā, Śrīdhara Svāmī has written, brahmādi-jaya-saṁrūḍha-darpa-kandarpa-darpa-hā. jayati śrīpatir gopī-rāsa-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ. The meaning is that although Madana is the enchanter of Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra and the other devas, he was himself infatuated by the sight of Śyāmasundara’s sweet form, surrounded by the gopīs, and was overwhelmed by his radiant beauty. 

  While speaking of Madana’s pride being crushed by Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, the venerable author also remembered the rāsa dance. Therefore, to describe their sweetness, he said, naṭabara-śekhariṇī, naṭinīra śiromaṇi, duṅhu guṇe duṅhu mana bura. “Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the crest-jewel of the great dancer Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the crest-jewel of the great dancer Śrī Rādhā. The mind of each is submerged in the virtues of the other.” Śrī Śuka Muni has described Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s preeminence among the three billion gopikās gathered for the great rāsa dance. For example, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī from among all the gopikās and disappeared to a lonely place to enjoy amorous pastimes. This illustrates her nature as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s crest-jewel or object of highest regard. Above all, at the time of the rāsa dance, before everyone’s eyes the great dancer Śyāmasundara relished the nectar of the mahārāsa by taking his crest-jewel Śrī Rādhārāṇī to the middle of the circle and dancing with her. It is also understood from the mahārāsa that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the crest-jewel of the great dancer Śrī Rādhā. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa vanished from Śrī Rādhā’s presence as they were sporting in a solitary place, Śrīmatī fainted, being unable to see him. Such a condition does not appear in just any gopikā who is unable to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Above all, at the time of the rāsa dance, Śrī Rādhā personally remained in the middle of the circle and gave her own crest-jewel Śrī Kṛṣṇa unprecedented joy, not only through her sweeter-than-sweet dancing and singing, but also through the captivating dancing of her bodily expansions in the form of countless gopikās.

  Then, after seeing Śrī Yugala’s mutual fascination in each other’s qualities, he said, duṅhu guṇe duṅhu mana bura, meaning the mind of each is as though submerged in the other’s ocean of virtues. A mahājana has described the immersion of Śrīmatī’s mind in Śyāmasundara’s qualities in Pada-Kalpa-Taru:

rūpe bharala diṭhi, soṅgari paraśa miṭhi, pulaka nā tejai aṅga |

mohana muralī rabe, śruti paripūrita, nā śune āna parasaṅga ||

sajani! aba ki karabi upadeśa |

kānu-anurāge mora, tanu mana mātala, nā guṇe dharama-bhaya leśa ||

nāsikā se aṅgera, saurabhe unamata, badane nā laya āna nāma |

naba naba guṇa-gaṇe, bāndhala majhu mane, dharama rahaba kona ṭhāma ||

gṛhapati tarajane, gurujana garajane, ko jāne upajaye hāsa |

tahiṅ eka manoratha, yadi haye anurata, puchata gobinda-dāsa ||

  “‘My eyes were filled with his beauty; when I remember his gentle touch, my body thrills with delight. My ears were filled with the sweet sound of his muralī flute; no other sound could enter. O friend, please tell me what I should do now. My body and mind are drunk with love for Kṛṣṇa; they care nothing for dharma. My nose is addicted to the fragrance of his body, my mouth speaks no other name. My mind is bound by the cord of his ever-fresh qualities. What room is left for dharma? I’ve been scolded by my husband and reproached by my elders. Who can understand the ridicule I’ve suffered?’ Govinda Dāsa asks for only one thing: to always be attached to her.’”

  Enchanted by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s qualities, Śyāmasundara said, 

sundari! āna guṇe naha mora bacana madhura |

tuyā parasāde sādha saba pūra ||

āna saṅga kabhu nā kahabi mora |

cānda nā tejai kabahuṅ cakora ||

tuyā guṇa gāyana bayana hāmāra |

tuyā hṛdi śītala paṅkaja hāra ||

tuhuṅ daraśana binu saba āndhiyāra |

micha naha nanda kahaye katabāra ||

  “O lovely one! I never speak of another’s qualities. By your sweet mercy, all my desires are fulfilled. I shall never speak of my contact with others. The moon never abandons the cakora. My mouth always sings of your virtues. A garland of soothing lotuses rests upon your bosom. When I can’t see you, the whole world is darkened with gloom. This is no lie; I have many times said this with great joy.”

  The reading duṅhu mana jhura is also seen in place of duṅhu mana bura. In this form, it is understood to mean that Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava weep incessantly due to the sweetness of each other’s qualities.

 *His five arrows are enchantment, excitement, absorption, heating and stupefaction. (Saṁsad)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 44 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

দশনেতে তৃণ ধরি,        হা! হা! কিশোর! কিশোরি!

চরণাব্জে নিবেদন করি ।

ব্রজরাজকুমার শ্যাম,        বৃষভানুনন্দিনী নাম,

শ্রীরাধিকা-রামা-মনোহারী ॥ ৪৪ ॥

daśanete tṛṇa dhari,        hā! hā! kiśora! kiśori!

caraṇābje nibedana kari |

braja-rāja-kumāra śyāma,        bṛṣabhānu-nandinī nāma,

śrī-rādhikā-rāmā-manohārī || 44 ||

     O Kiśora! O Kiśorī! Holding straw in my teeth, I offer myself at your lotus feet. O prince of Vraja! O dark one! O enchanter of Śrī Rādhikā, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, and the other beautiful girls of Vraja!

A Humble Offering

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, the most venerable Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, the mahārāja of prema-bhakti, is proclaiming his humble submission at the feet of his cherished Śrī Yugala-Kiśora. daśanete tṛṇa dhari, hā! hā! kiśora! kiśori! caraṇābje nibedana kari. Humility (dainya) is the vital essence of a bhakta’s sādhana; without humility, bhajana is lifeless. Immeasurable prema arises from humility, and immeasurable humility arises from prema. The reciprocal cause and effect relationship of humility and love has been described in this way in Śrī Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam. The highest level of this humility reveals itself among the gopīs, who suffer the pain of separation (viraha) from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. dainyaṁ tu paramaṁ premṇaḥ paripākena janyate, tāsāṁ gokula-nārīṇām iva kṛṣṇa-viyogataḥ (Śrī Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.224). dṛṣṭāntenānena śrī-kṛṣṇasyānugraha-viśeṣataḥ prāyas tan-mādhuryānubhavādinaiva prema-viśeṣodayāt tad-virahe dainya-viśeṣo jāyata iti dhvanitam (ṭīkā). True humility manifests in the mature state of love. It should be understood that the humility shown by the beautiful young girls of Gokula, who feel lovesick for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, has occurred in the mature state of prema. By the example of the gokula-ramaṇīs, we can understand that through a particular type of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, they experience his profound mādhurya, and a similar type of prema arises; then according to that prema, a similar type of humility also arises. Among those gopīs, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the crest jewel of them all. A small quantity of Śrī Rādhā’s ocean of humility is infused in those kiṅkarīs who have taken shelter of her and who feel separation from her alone or from her together with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. An example would be the extraordinary humility exhibited by Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Raghunātha and the other Gosvāmīs. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is also Campaka Mañjarī, Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s very dear maidservant in Vraja. Therefore, because of separation from Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, extraordinary humility has appeared in his heart and mind. Overcome with extreme humility, he says, “O Kiśora! O Kiśorī! Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava! Holding straw in my teeth, I am making a small offering at your lotus feet.” The sinless mahātmās, by the touch of whose foot-dust the entire world is purified, are filled with profound humility. They consider themselves very lowly, like grazing animals, so they pray with bunches of straw held in their teeth. Śrī Bhagavān’s heart is completely melted by the humble behavior of such great, virtuous, high-minded souls. When Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana saw Śrīman Mahāprabhu in the village of Rāmakeli, they approached him with straw in their teeth and offered their sorrowful prayers (Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 1.207-208). Moved by their humility, the Lord said,

śuni’ mahāprabhu kahe–śuna dabira-khāsa |

tumi dui bhāi mora purātana dāsa ||

āji haite doṅhāra nāma–rūpa-sanātana |

dainya chāḍa, tomāra dainye phāṭe mora mana ||

     “Listen, Dabira Khāsa, you two brothers have been my servants for a long time. From now on, your names are Rūpa and Sanātana. Please give up this humility; it is breaking my heart.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya cries, hā! hā! kiśora! kiśori! By using these words, he has expressed his heartfelt sorrow born of viraha. While bearing straw in his teeth and offering his lamentation at Śrī Yugala’s lotus feet, he had a mystical vision of them. His eyes and mind were drowned in the beauty of Śrī Yugala in this vision and he could no longer offer his prayer. He then began to describe Śrī Yugala’s beauty. First, he described Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty: braja-rāja-kumāra! śyāma! bṛṣabhānu-nandinī nāma, śrī-rādhikā-rāmā-manohārī. “O son of the king of Vraja! O dark one! O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, enchanter of Śrī Rādhikā, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, and the other beautiful girls of Vraja!” When Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya saw Śrī Nandanandana in this vision, it was as though the embodiment of joy had appeared in the poet’s eyes and mind. He addressed Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Śrī Nandanandana, the son of the king of Vraja. The true significance of the name Nanda for the king of Vraja is that by the power of his extraordinary parental love, he caused the Supreme Lord himself to descend into the world and drown all its inhabitants in transcendental ānanda-rasa. nandayati jagad iti nandaḥ. “He who makes the world rejoice is called Nanda.” His joyful son is Śrī Vrajarājanandana.

     As Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was pleasantly gazing at the blissful person in his vision, the dark blue effulgence that illuminated the surroundings touched his eyes. Therefore, he addressed him as Śyāma. Then, as he continued to watch, Śrī Rādhārāṇī, enchanted by Śyāmasundara’s form, began to savor his dark beauty through the chalice of her eyes. Therefore, he said, bṛṣabhānu-nandinī nāma, śrī-rādhikā-rāmā-manohārī! One day, spellbound by her attraction to Śyāma’s incomparable beauty, Śrī Rādhārāṇī said to her sakhī,

hari mukhacandra, sudhā-rasa-laharī, kiraṇahiṅ bhubana ujora |

tirapita cāhi, cakoriṇī-kāminī, locana niśi-diśi bhora ||

sajani! aba hāma nā bujhi bidhāna |

atiśaya ānande, bighini ghaṭāola, heraite jharaye nayāna ||

dāruṇa daiba, kayala duṅha locana, tāhe palaka niramāi |

tāhe ati hariṣe, e duṅha diṭhi pūrala, kaiche heraba mukha cāi ||

tāhe guru durujana, locana kaṇṭaka, saṅkaṭa katahaṅ bithāra | 

kulabatī bāda, bibāda karata kata, dhairaja lāja bicāra ||

sabaṅha upekhi, yāi bana paiṭhaba, kānu gīme kari hāra |

nirajane rāti, dibasa sukhe heraba, ehi daḍhāyaluṅ sāra ||

ki karaba āna, dharama karama mata, jībana-hīna janu deha |

gobinda-dāsa bhaṇa, manamatha-mohana, milane kiye karu keha ||

     “‘The world is illumined by the undulating rays of nectar from Hari’s moonlike face. The eyes of the delighted cakorī birds gaze at him through day and night. Sakhī! I still don’t understand the ways of Providence. At a time of great happiness, a calamity occurred: after seeing Kṛṣṇa, tears of joy began to fall from my eyes. Alas, cruel fate has only given me two eyes, and on top of that, it made them blink! Moreover, because of great ecstasy, these two eyes filled with tears. How, I ask, shall I see his face? Meanwhile, the thorn-like eyes of my irritable elders immeasurably increase my troubles. These people have caused so many quarrels, complaining that I am not a virtuous wife, judging my forbearance and modesty. Ignoring them all, I shall go to the forest and place a garland around Kṛṣṇa’s neck. In a solitary place, I shall joyfully gaze day and night at his lotus face. Such is the essence of my resolve. How can I engage in other dharmas or karmas? They are like dead bodies to me.’ Govinda Dāsa says, ‘In the company of the one who enchants the god of love, what else could someone do?’”*

*(I based my translation of this poem on the explanation given in the Vaiṣṇava Padāvalī, edited by Śrī Harekṛṣṇa Mukhopādhyāya.)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 43 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

যুগল-চরণ সেবা,        যুগল-চরণ ধ্যেবা,

যুগলেই মনের পীরিতি ।

যুগল-কিশোর-রূপ,        কামরতিগণ-ভূপ,

মনে রহু ও লীলা-কিরীতি ॥ ৪৩ ॥

yugala-caraṇa sebā,        yugala-caraṇa dhyebā,

yugalei manera pīriti |

yugala-kiśora-rūpa,        kāma-rati-gaṇa-bhūpa,

mane rahu o līlā-kirīti || 43 ||

     I shall serve Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, meditate upon their feet and dedicate the love in my heart to them. This youthful form of the Divine Couple is the ruler of countless gods of love and their wives. Please let their charming pastimes flow always in my mind.

The Rulers of the Gods of Love and Their Wives

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, the magnanimous author has discussed the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas’ devotion to their object of worship as well as to the process of worship. In this verse, he describes the method of śrī-śrī-yugala-bhajana. The upāsanā, or worship procedure, of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is the rāga-mārga attended by vidhis. For their bhajana, the limb of smaraṇa, which is primary in rāga-bhakti, proceeds alongside the limbs of vaidhī-bhakti, meaning śravaṇa, kīrtana, arcana and so on. In Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.296, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written the following: śravaṇotkīrtanādīni vaidha-bhakty-uditāni tu, yāny-aṅgāni ca tāny atra vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda comments, śravaṇotkīrtanādīni guru-pādāśrayādīni tvākṣepa-labdhāni. tāni vinā vrajalokānugatyādikaṁ kim api na siddhyed ity arthaḥ. manīṣibhir iti manīṣayā vimṛśyaiva svīya-bhāva-samucitāny eva tāni kāryāṇi; na tu tad-viruddhāni. tāni cārcana-bhaktāv ahaṁgrahopāsana-mudrā-nyāsa-dvārakā-dhyāna-rukmiṇy-ādi-pūjanāni āgama-śāstra-vihitāny api naiva kāryāṇi. bhakti-mārge’smin kiñcit kiñcid aṅga-vaikalye’pi doṣābhāva-śravaṇāt. 

     “All the sixty-four limbs of vaidhī-bhakti, such as śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on that have been previously described (implying śrī-guru-pādāśraya as well), are also useful and relevant on the rāgānugā-mārga. Without practicing the aṅgas of vaidhī-bhakti such as śravaṇa, kīrtana, arcana and so on, one will have no success on the rāga-mārga in following or becoming familiar with the residents of Vraja. Those who are thoughtful will practice the aṅgas suitable for their own respective bhāvas, but will not practice those that are unsuitable. The meaning is that although ahaṁgrahopāsanā, mudrās, nyāsa (prāṇāyāma), meditation on Dvārakā, worship of Rukmiṇī and so on have been prescribed in the Āgama-śāstras for the arcana-mārga, the sādhakas on the path of rāga will abandon them. It should be understood that on the bhakti-mārga, there is no fault if there is some slight imperfection in the performance of the various aṅgas.”

     After mentioning the method for worshiping Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, yugala-caraṇa sebā, yugala-caraṇa dhyebā, yugalei manera pīriti. It should be understood that the word caraṇa (feet) has been used here because of the abundance of his devotion. Indeed, he is praying to perform the sevā or arcanā of Śrī Yugala, to meditate upon them and to repose his heart’s complete affection in them. The bhajana of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas on the path of rāga is not under the control of śāstra like the sacrificial performances of those who follow vaidhī-bhakti. This is the bhajana of eager desire (lobha) or the bhajana of love (anurāga). Therefore, they place their deepest love in their own cherished Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, and the stream of bhajana, consisting of śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, arcanā and so on, flows continuously. In this way, each limb of their bhajana becomes sweet and delicious. It should be kept in mind that the sādhaka will not be able to place his love at his beloved Śrī Yugala’s lotus feet by his own effort. This should be understood as something that is dependent only on the mercy of Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Bhagavān. At the conclusion of his description of the rāga-mārga in his Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu (1.2.309), Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written the following: 

kṛṣṇa-tadbhakta-kāruṇya-mātra-lābhaika-hetukā |

puṣṭi-mārgatayā kaiścid iyaṁ rāgānugocyate ||

     “The only cause for one’s engagement on the rāga-mārga is the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his bhakta. Some (members of the Vallabha Sampradāya) have called this path the puṣṭi-mārga.” mātrapadasya vidhi-mārge kutracit karmādi-samarpaṇam api dvāraṁ bhavatīti tad-vicchedārthaḥ prayogaḥ iti bhāvaḥ (from Śrī Jīvapāda’s commentary). “Sometimes, the dedication of one’s actions and so on are a doorway to the vidhi-mārga, but it should be understood that the sole cause for engagement in rāgānugā-bhakti is mercy.” By the association and compassion of like-minded bhaktas who are devoted to bhajana on the rāga-mārga, the fortunate sādhaka is engaged in rāgānugā-bhajana. As a result of following the example of sevā performed by Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, the sādhaka’s heart and mind are moistened with love for Śrī Yugala according to the degree of mercy he has received. This is the essential meaning.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, “With a mind moistened by love for Śrī Yugala, I shall perform their sevā or arcanā as well as meditate upon them.” He is saying here that externally he will perform sevā with his sādhaka body by offering either sixteen articles of worship or five articles, according to his ability or taste. In his mind, in his bhāva-deha, he will perform sevā with mental articles of worship as well as meditate upon Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. viśeṣato rūpādi cintaṁ dhyānam. “Contemplation of a form and so on in a detailed way is called dhyāna.” The author is describing the sweetness of his object of meditation, the forms of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa: yugala-kiśora-rūpa, kāma-rati-gaṇa-bhūpa. This yugala-kiśora form is the monarch of countless Kandarpas and Ratis (gods of love and their wives). Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ruler of countless forms of the god of love; millions of Kandarpas are infatuated simply by the luster of his toenails. koṭi-madana-vimohanāśeṣa-cittākarṣaka-sahaja-madhuratara-lāvaṇyāmṛtāpārārṇavena mahānubhāva-cayenānubhūyamāna-tat-tan-mahābhāva-nivahena śrī-madana-gopāla-rūpeṇādhunāpi vṛndāvane virājamānatvāt (Sāraṅga-Raṅgadā). “He who is the enchanter of countless gods of love; who attracts the minds of the entire world; and he who is the boundless, billowy ocean of the sweet nectar of natural charm resides even now in Śrī Vṛndāvana in the form of Śrī Madana-Gopāla. The high-minded ones, the premika-bhaktas, perceive his sweetness according to the depth of their own love. The mādhurya of the transcendental, youthful God of Love, Śrīman Madana-Gopāla, is tasted to the highest degree by the young girls of Vraja, whose love is deeper than all others.” Therefore, millions of Kandarpas are humbled in the presence of this transcendental young God of Love. Moreover, when near his enchantress, Śrī Rādhārāṇī, that vast ocean of beauty heaves with giant, surging waves. His dark form also causes Śrī Rādhā’s ocean of sweetness to churn with great force. The beauty of millions of Ratis is insignificant before Śrī Rādhā’s mādhurī. It is impossible to compare her with anything of this world. Therefore, in Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhi 126, one who experienced her beauty said,

rākāneka-vicitra-candra uditaḥ premāmṛta-jyotiṣāṁ

vīcībhiḥ paripūrayed agaṇita-brahmāṇḍa-koṭiṁ yadi |

vṛndāraṇya-nikuñja-sīmani tad-ābhāsaṁ paraṁ lakṣyase

bhāvenaiva yadā tadaiva tulaye rādhe tava śrī-mukham ||

     “O Rādhā! If many joyful, amazing moons all rose simultaneously in the night sky and filled countless universes with moonbeams of love, it would still hardly compare to your moonlike face, which has risen on the horizon of this kuñja. Therefore, out of love only have I compared your face to the moon; in fact, in this world there is no comparison.”

     Then the author prayed for constant remembrance of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes: mane rahu o līlā-kirīti. “Please let Yugala-Kiśora’s charming pastimes flow always in my mind.” Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s līlā spontaneously appears within the heart and mind that have been purified by sādhana. The sādhaka’s effort in performing sādhana is the only cause for receiving the compassionate gift of a purified heart and the vision of līlā. This smaraṇāṅga-bhajana of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas on the rāgānugā-mārga is internal bhajana. bāhya antara ihāra duita sādhana, bāhye sādhaka-dehe kare śrabaṇa-kīrtana. mane nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhābana, rātri-dina cinte rādhā-kṛṣṇera sebana (Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.156). “On this path, there are two types of sādhana: external and internal. Externally, in the sādhaka body, one performs śravaṇa-kīrtana. In the mind, one meditates on one’s siddha-deha and mentally serves Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa day and night.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 42 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

জীবনে মরণে গতি,        রাধাকৃষ্ণ প্রাণপতি,

দোঁহার পিরীতি-রসসুখে ।

যুগলসঙ্গতি যারা,        মোর প্রাণ গলে হারা,

এই কথা রহু মোর বুকে ॥ ৪২ ॥

jībane maraṇe gati,        rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa-pati,

doṅhāra pirīti-rasa-sukhe |

yugala-saṅgati yārā,        mora prāṇa gale hārā,

ei kathā rahu mora buke || 42 ||

  Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the rulers of my life and my only shelter in this world and the next. Those sakhīs and mañjarīs who are always with them, submerged in the joy of the Divine Couple’s mutual love, are like a garland around not only my neck, but also my very life. Let these words remain forever in my heart.

Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, the Rulers of My Life

Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Having expressed his longing for yugala-bhajana, which is the highest ideal of rāga-bhakti and Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s glorious gift of mercy, and which is very pleasing to the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava sādhakas, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is now teaching the method of yugala-bhajana to the sādhakas: jībane maraṇe gati, rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa-pati, doṅhāra pirīti-rasa-sukhe. yugala-saṅgati yārā, mora prāṇa gale hārā, ei kathā rahu mora buke. “Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the rulers of my life and my only shelter in this world and the next. Those sakhīs and mañjarīs who are always with them, allured by the joy of the Divine Couple’s mutual love, are like a garland around not only my neck, but also my very life. Let these words remain forever in my heart.”

  First of all, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya speaks of his own devotion: rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa-pati. For Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, the goal is service to Śrī Rādhā in the mood of a mañjarī. This tattva is an act of mercy by Śrīman Mahāprabhu and the thing most dear to Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana and the other Gosvāmīs who spread it about. In the opinion of the Gosvāmīs, this is sarva-mahā asādhāraṇa sādhya-tattva: “the most extraordinary truth to be attained.” By sādhana and bhajana, the ultimate staircase, the jīva-śakti can ascend to the highest peak of the spiritual realm. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa-pati means that Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the Goddess of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas’ lives, and they perform śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana under the shelter of her lotus feet. Under the shelter of the sad-guru’s lotus feet, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhakas obtain the particulars of their own siddha-svarūpa (spiritual form) as Śrī Rādhā’s dāsī or mañjarī (including name, age, complexion, dress and the other elements of the ekādaśa-bhāva). By meditating on this svarūpa, or by establishing a sense of self within that svarūpa, their internal bhajana or rāga-bhajana continues. The topic of bhūta-śuddhi (purification of the elemental or mortal body) in the worship of Śrī Bhagavān has been discussed in the śāstras. For the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, the contemplation of this siddha-svarūpa, or the fixing of one’s sense of self in it, is the proper bhūta-śuddhi. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, tatra bhūta-śuddhir nijābhilaṣita-bhagavat-sevaupayika-tat-pārṣada-deha-bhāvanāparyantyaiva tat-sevaika-puruṣārthibhiḥ kāryā nijānukūlyāt (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 286 anuḥ). “Those whose only goal in life is bhagavat-sevā shall contemplate a body that is suitable for their desired service as a companion of Śrī Bhagavān. This is the bhūta-śuddhi that will be favorable to their bhajana.” devo bhūtvā devaṁ yajet, nādevo devam arcayet. “Having become divine himself, a sādhaka shall worship the divine. If he has not become divine, he shall not worship the divine.” In śāstra, by means of anvaya-mukha (assertion), this is a vidhi (injunction); and by vyatireka-mukha (negation), it is a niṣedha (prohibition). It is clearly understood that the devotee who desires bhagavat-sevā must think of himself as an associate of Śrī Bhagavān. For the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, that means the body of a kiṅkarī or mañjarī in service to Śrī Rādhā. The meaning is that Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the beloved Goddess of their souls, and because Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of her life, he is also the Lord of their lives. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has tried to express this by using the words rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa-pati. Therefore, Śrī Yugala-Kiśora are jībane maraṇe gati, meaning Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the only real shelter in this life or the next. After using the words rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa-pati to express his devotion to his beloved, he then says jībane maraṇe gati to describe his unwavering refuge at their lotus feet.

  By saying jībane maraṇe gati, he has proclaimed that there are two states of śaraṇāgati or refuge regarding the Divine Couple: in the consciousness of being a sādhaka and in the consciousness of being in one’s siddha-deha. In sādhaka-consciousness, one thinks, “I am a person devoted to mañjarī-bhāva,” and in his mentally conceived bhāva-deha (love body), he remains submerged in the enjoyable rasa of serving the Divine Couple and contemplating their sweetness. This is indeed an amazing state of enjoyment. Those in whom a little mañjarī-bhāva has awakened can understand this. In this state, the sādhaka thinks, “Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are my only shelter in life or in death. In life, after protecting me from the influence of anarthas and so on, and blessing me with the opportunity to serve them, they will bestow upon me the gifts of rati and prema. In death also, through their own virtue they will mercifully bless me with sevā at their lotus feet, or if I am not yet fit to serve their lotus feet, they will shelter me wherever they desire. Their desire will be my life.” In this way, the sheltered sādhaka, regarding the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa to be his sole object of pursuit, will become free from worry and doubt in his life of bhajana. 
     When the sādhaka arrives at the stage of rati, his siddha-svarūpa awakens daily and he forgets his physical body. In his siddha-svarūpa also he considers the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa to be his only refuge in life or death. Although there is no question of life and death in the siddha-svarūpa, just as in their humanlike pastimes the nitya-siddha gopas and gopīs consider themselves to only be ordinary jīvas bound by birth and death, the sādhaka who is absorbed in his siddha-svarūpa is also of a similar nature. Through this, a very nice taste of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s sweet, humanlike līlā-rasa is attained.

  After mentioning his object of devotion, he now discusses his firm faith in the process of worship: doṅhāra pirīti-rasa-sukhe, yugala-saṅgati yārā, mora prāṇa gale hārā, ei kathā rahu mora buke. “Overwhelmed by the joy of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s mutual love, those who have become constant companions of the Divine Couple, the sakhīs and mañjarīs, are like a garland around not only my neck, but also my very life. May these words remain always in my heart.” Madhura-rati is of two kinds: (1) sambhogecchāmayī (nāyikā-bhāva) and (2) tad-bhāvecchātmikā (sakhī-bhāva). In manifest or sequential līlā, it is as though from childhood the minds of Śrī Rādhā, Lalitā and the other gopīs have been stolen by some mysterious, handsome, sweet, fine young man and they have offered themselves completely at his lotus feet. In due course, they come to understand that he is Śrī Vrajendranandana, the embodiment of beauty and charm. In some particular līlās, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa became present before everyone’s eyes and Lalitā and the others witnessed the sweetness of his mutual love with Śrī Rādhā, they lost the desire to get Kṛṣṇa as their lover (nāyikā-bhāva) and their minds were enticed to taste this yugala-mādhurī. For example, one mahājana has sung the following regarding kāliyadamana-līlā (from Pada-Kalpa-Taru):

kāliyadamana dina māha | kālindī-kūla kadambaka chāha ||

kataśata vraja-naba-bālā | pekhaluṅ janu thira bijurika mālā ||

tohe kahoṅ subala sāṅgāti | taba dhari hāma nā jānoṅ dina rāti ||

tahiṅ dhanī-maṇi dui cāri | tahiṅ mana-mohinī eka nārī ||

so raha majhu mane paiṭhi | manasija dhūme ghuma nāhi diṭhi ||

anukṣaṇa tahika samādhi | ko jāne kaichana biraha-beyādhi ||

dine dine kṣīṇa bhela dehā | gobinda dāsa kaha aiche naba lehā ||

     “My dear friend Subala, on the day I subdued the Kāliya serpent, I saw countless young vraja-gopīs, like abiding streaks of lightning, in the shade of a kadamba tree on the bank of the Yamunā. I’m telling you, when I think of them now, I cannot understand if it is day or night. A few of them are the most beautiful of girls, and among those, one has enchanted me. She has entered my mind and remains there. In the fog of love, no sleep comes to my eyes. I think of her at every moment. Who can understand how I suffer from her absence? After many days like this, my body has become thin and weak.’ Govinda Dāsa says, ‘Such is young love.’”

  In this way, when Śrī Lalitā and the others saw the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in their stage of pūrva-rāga (dawning or incipient love), they were overwhelmed by the joy of relishing the Divine Couple’s mutual loving sentiments and became their constant companions, with equal affection (sama-snehā) for each. Rūpa Mañjarī and others are rādhā-snehādhikā, meaning they have more affection for Śrī Rādhā than Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Although they are Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs, they are eager to serve her and in that way became companions of the Divine Couple, meaning their respective eternal natures manifested in the gradually unfolding līlā. In mañjarī-bhāva, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying, “The sakhīs and mañjarīs are like garlands around both my soul and my neck. Just as a garland increases the beauty of one’s body, in the same way, may they increase the beauty of my soul and my body.” ei kathā rahu mora buke: May this mood dwell forever in my heart, allowing no other condition to distract it. yugala-saṅgati yārā, mora prāṇa gale hārā. Another reading for this is yugala-bhajana yārā, premānande bhāse tārā. The meaning is that by tasting the sweet sentiments flowing between Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the sādhakas in sakhī or mañjarī-bhāva experience great joy. They forget all talk of independent happiness, become absorbed in yugala-bhajana and drift in the ecstasy of love. Let these words remain always in my heart, meaning let my heart be always eager for such joy. It is to be understood that such longing is the only cause for the appearance of rāga-bhakti.

Aashi, my seven-year-old student

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 41 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

অন্যব্রত অন্যদান,        নাহি কর বস্তুজ্ঞান,

অন্যসেবা অন্যদেব-পূজা ।

হা! হা! কৃষ্ণ! বলি বলি,        বেড়াব আনন্দ করি,

মনে আর নাহি যেন দুজা ॥ ৪১ ॥

anya-brata anya-dāna,        nāhi kara bastu-jñāna,

anya-sebā anya-deba-pūjā |

hā! hā! kṛṣṇa! bali bali,        beḍāba ānanda kari,

mane āra nāhi yena dujā || 41 ||

     Give up other vows, other charity, the pursuit of worldly knowledge, other sevā and the worship of other gods. Crying “Alas, O Kṛṣṇa!” again and again, I shall wander about in joy, my mind free from all hesitation or doubt.

The Greatest Joy

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that after giving up a few other anarthas or impediments to bhajana, he will get the greatest joy by incessantly crying, “Alas, O Kṛṣṇa!” First, he describes some worldly involvements that must be abandoned: anya-brata anya-dāna, nāhi kara bastu-jñāna, anya-sebā anya-deba-pūjā. Anya-vrata means the Vaiṣṇava must give up all vratas (vows) concerning other devas and devīs and observe only Vaiṣṇava vows like harivāsara (ekādaśī) and so on. Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas observe vows like ekādaśī, śrī-kṛṣṇāṣṭamī, śrī-rādhāṣṭamī, śrī-rāma-navamī, vāmana-dvādaśī, nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī, śiva-rātri, śrī-gaura-pūrṇimā, nityānanda-trayodaśī and advaita-jayantī. In his instructions to Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīman Mahāprabhu said, ei sabera biddhā-tyāga abiddhā-karaṇa, akaraṇe doṣa kaile bhaktira lambhana (Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta Madhya 24.342). “Those holy days that do not extend from sunrise to sunrise should not be observed, whereas those that are complete should be. If one does not observe these complete holy days, it is a flaw in one’s practice. If one does, bhakti can be attained.” The following is written in the Śrī Nāradīya-Purāṇa regarding the fault or harm of not observing these vows: yāni kāni ca pāpāni brahma-hatyā-samāni ca, annam āśritya tiṣṭhanti samprānte harivāsare, tāni pāpāny avāpnoti bhuñjāno harivāsare. “There are so many kinds of sins in the world, including the killing of a brāhmaṇa. During harivāsara (ekādaśī), all sins take shelter in food and remain there. If one eats on that day, all those sins are taken into oneself.” The following is seen in the Skanda-Purāṇa: mātṛhā pitṛhā caiva bhrātṛhā guruhā tathā, ekādaśyāṁ tu yo bhuṅkte viṣṇulokāc cyuto bhavet. “Whoever eats food on ekādaśī is swallowed by the sins of killing his mother, father, brother and guru and is deprived of viṣṇuloka for a very long time.” In regard to obtaining bhakti by observing the vows of ekādaśī and so on, the following is written in the vaiṣṇava-tantra: ekādaśī mahāpuṇyā viṣṇor īśasya vallabhā, tasyām upoṣito yas tu dvādaśyāṁ pūjayed dharim, tasya pāpāni naśyanti viṣṇau bhaktiś ca jāyate. “The auspicious day of śrī-ekādaśī is most dear to Śrī Viṣṇu. For one who fasts on ekādaśī and worships Śrī Hari on dvādaśī, all sins are destroyed and viṣṇu-bhakti is born.” Hundreds of scriptural statements like this have been quoted in Śrī Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, and in the twelfth vilāsa, the glory of the vaiṣṇava-vratas has been extolled. To abandon the Vaiṣṇava vows and instead follow other vows has also been called a fault: ekādaśīṁ parityajya yo’nya-vratam upāsate, sa kara-sthaṁ mahāratnaṁ tyaktvā loṣṭraṁ hi yācate (Tattva-Sāgara). “Whoever gives up ekādaśī (meaning other vaiṣṇava-vratas as well) and observes some other vow gives up the great jewel in his hand and instead asks for a lump of clay.” Therefore, the sādhaka who desires happiness must abandon other vows.

     Other kinds of charity (anya-dāna) must also be given up by the sādhaka who desires bhakti. Anya-dāna means charity given for some reason other than to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Vaiṣṇavas, or charity given to an undeserving person. Vaiṣṇavas must give in charity with the desire to please Śrī Viṣṇu. tasmād viṣṇu-prasādāya vaiṣṇavān paritoṣayet, tasmai deyaṁ tato grāhyaṁ sa ca pūjya yathā hy aham. “Desiring the mercy of Śrī Viṣṇu, one must satisfy the Vaiṣṇavas. One must give in charity to the Vaiṣṇavas and then accept charity from them. The Vaiṣṇavas are to be honored like me.” Thus, from scriptural statements like these, the glory of giving charitably to the Vaiṣṇavas is understood. Charity to viṣṇu-bhaktas is transcendental, produces bhakti and is devoid of mundane qualities. Bhagavad-Gītā 17.20-22 describes charity that is sāttvika, rājasa and tāmasa:

dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ dīyate’nupakāriṇe |

deśe kāle ca pātre ca tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛtam ||

yat tu pratyupakārārthaṁ phalam uddiśya vā punaḥ |

dīyate ca parikliṣṭaṁ tad dānaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam ||

adeśa-kāle yad dānam apātrebhyaś ca dīyate |

asat-kṛtam avajñātaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛtam ||

     “Charity given as duty, with consideration for the appropriate place, time and recipient, and which is given with no expectation of return is called sāttvika charity, or charity in the mode of goodness. Charity given with a hope for something in return, grudgingly or with a desire for results such as attaining the heavenly worlds is called rājasa charity, or charity in the mode of passion. Charity given in an improper place, at an improper time and to an improper recipient, without care and respect is called tāmasa charity, or charity in the mode of ignorance.” All these types of charity connected to the three guṇas are considered anya-dāna. Through them, it is impossible to attain kṛṣṇa-bhakti, so the bhakta-sādhaka must abandon them all. Charity given to the Vaiṣṇavas with the desire to please Śrī Viṣṇu is transcendental charity, as a result of which, kṛṣṇa-bhakti is attained.

     Moreover, nāhi kara bastu-jñāna. In this context, vastu-jñāna means that there is no need for a bhakta to pursue knowledge of anything other than the three spiritual truths of (1) Śrī Kṛṣṇa, (2) devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and (3) Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s devotees. Pursuing knowledge of the illusory world, beginning with that of the body and things related and reaching up to knowledge of absolute brahma, is unnecessary. A thing is imperishable and transcendental if when understood, nothing more remains to be understood, and when attained, nothing more remains to be attained. vinācyutād vastu tarāṁ na vācyam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.46.43). That thing is the truth propounded by the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the essence of all the Vedas: vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadam (1.1.2). This supreme subject matter is understood by sādhana, bhajana and residence in Vraja. After experiencing that transcendental subject matter in Vṛndāvana, Śrīla Līlāśuka says the following in his Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam, verse 2:

asti svas-taruṇī-karāgra-vigalat-kalpa-prasūnāplutaṁ

vastu prastuta-veṇu-nāda-laharī-nirvāṇa-nirvyākulam |

srasta-srasta-niruddha-nīvi-vilasad-gopī-sahasrāvṛtaṁ

hasta-nyasta-natāpavargam akhilodāraṁ kiśorākṛti ||

     “In Śrī Vṛndāvana resides a being in the form of an adolescent boy who is generous to all and who bestows liberation upon those who bow before him. He is bathed with desire-tree flowers dropped from the fingertips of heavenly damsels; surrounded by countless gopīs with loosened sashes; and calmed and pleased by the charming, sweet waves of sound flowing from his flute.” If the mind is submerged in the sweetness of this incomparably charming subject matter, indifference arises toward all other subjects.

     Anya-sevā: For the Vaiṣṇavas, service to anyone other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his devotees, as well as the worship of other devas, is forbidden. For the sādhaka, service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa or to the arcā-vigraha is constant. Along with that, vaiṣṇava-sevā is also to be regularly performed. Śrī Bhagavān has mentioned to Uddhava that it is even more important to serve the Vaiṣṇavas than to serve the Lord himself: mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.19.21). abhyadhikā mat-pūjāto’pi tatra mama santoṣa-viśeṣāt (Krama-Sandarbha ṭīkā). “Having understood that I am even more satisfied by service to my bhaktas than to myself, one must serve them with great care.” tasmād viṣṇu-prasādāya vaiṣṇavān paritoṣayet, prasādaṁ sumukho viṣṇus tenaiva syān na saṁśayaḥ (Itihāsa-Samuccaya). “You should please the Vaiṣṇavas with the desire to obtain Śrī Viṣṇu’s mercy. In this way, you will no doubt gain Śrī Viṣṇu’s complete blessings.” Therefore, the sādhaka should not serve anyone other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his devotees and should never worship other devatās. How many times before has he spoken of this prohibition regarding the pūjā of other devas? Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has repeatedly warned the exclusively-devoted bhaktas about this by mentioning again and again how particularly harmful it is to ananya-bhakti.

     Finally, he says, hā! hā! kṛṣṇa! bali bali, beḍāba ānanda kari, mane āra nāhi yena dujā. “Having abandoned any connection with these matters unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and singlemindedly dedicating my life to him, I shall wander about, crying, ‘Alas, Kṛṣṇa! Where are you? Let me see you!’ thinking the world to be empty without him. In this way, if my mind and heart forget the world and become absorbed in Śrī Kṛṣṇa, my soul will be blessed with a taste of the truly highest joy.” Crying and lamenting in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa should be understood as the most desirable goal and a state of intense joy for the bhakta. Regarding the statement that crying in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa is a condition of great happiness, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, mane āra nāhi yena dujā: “By this, no hesitation or doubt will remain in my mind.”

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 211

This verse is about Kṛṣṇa's appearance while being bathed:

ज्योत्स्नाभिर्नवनीरदः किमथवा शुक्लेन नीलो गुणः

शुद्धस्फटिकरत्नकान्तिसलिलैः किं वेन्द्रनीलाङ्कुरः ।

मुक्ताभिः किमु वा तमालतरुणः स्नातः समुद्भ्राजते

किं वा श्यामसरोजमुज्ज्वलविधुक्षोदैर्मुरारेर्वपुः ॥ २११ ॥

jyotsnābhir nava-nīradaḥ kim athavā śuklena nīlo guṇaḥ

śuddha-sphaṭika-ratna-kānti-salilaiḥ kiṁ vendranīlāṅkuraḥ |

muktābhiḥ kim u vā tamāla-taruṇaḥ snātaḥ samudbhrājate

kiṁ vā śyāma-sarojam ujjvala-vidhu-kṣodair murārer vapuḥ || 211 ||

     “Murāri’s body shines like a newly formed raincloud bathed in moonlight; the color blue bathed in whiteness; a flower bud made of sapphires bathed in pure crystal water; a young tamāla tree bathed in pearls; or a blue lotus bathed in lustrous particles of camphor.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 40 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

আন কথা আন ব্যথা,        নাহি যেন যাই তথা,

তোমার চরণ-স্মৃতি সাজে ।

অবিরত অবিকল,        তুয়া গুণ কল কল,

গাই যেন সতের সমাজে ॥ ৪০ ॥

āna kathā āna byathā,        nāhi yena yāi tathā,

tomāra caraṇa-smṛti sāje |

abirata abikala,        tuyā guṇa kala kala,

gāi yena satera samāje || 40 ||

  Where there are discussions of topics other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there will also be other troubles. I don’t go there. The memory of your lotus feet always shines in my heart. I shall continuously sing of your qualities with a sweet voice and undistracted mind in the company of great souls.

Singing of Śrī Bhagavān’s Qualities

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, the most revered author is offering his prayer at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet that, after abandoning his connection with other subject matters and agitations from which obstacles arise, he may be intoxicated by the constant singing of Śrī Hari’s qualities in the association of great souls and sink deeply into the rasa of contemplating the Lord’s lotus feet. First, he prays that he may give up his attachment for any topics unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa: āna kathā āna byathā, nāhi yena yāi tathā. It must be understood that wherever there is worldly talk or any discussion other than kṛṣṇa-kathā, there will also, no doubt, be troubles unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Hearing and speaking about topics other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which means discussing news regarding the body and things related to it rather than Śrī Bhagavān and his devotees, causes the citta to become scattered or distracted, more so than by any other means. The reason is that the citta, like a mirror, bears a reflected image of the objects before us, and a saṁskāra (impression) of each of those objects is established in the citta. In a manner corresponding to the saṁskāra, a person continually thinks of worldly sense-objects, becomes attached and develops the desire to enjoy them. If those desires are obstructed, anger is aroused. From anger comes delusion or a lack of judgement as to what is to be done and what is not. From delusion comes loss of memory or impairment of intellect, and from that comes utter ruin or destruction, which means that one suffers the pain of repeatedly wandering through 8,400,000 kinds of wombs and various kinds of hells. This is the poisonous fruit of contemplating the sense-objects, as seen in Śrī Bhagavad-Gītā 2.62-63:

dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate |

saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho’bhijāyate ||

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ |

smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati ||

  In this way, when one indulges in other topics, other terrible or frightful troubles appear. Śrī Bhagavān is the only worthy recipient for the rāga or attachment in our hearts. But when we come into contact with other kathās, the rāga in our hearts is turned toward the sense-objects. It then becomes polluted, the true propensities of our hearts are stolen and we are left impoverished. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.36, we find the following: 

tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās tāvat kārāgṛhaṁ gṛham |

tāvan moho’ṅghri-nigaḍo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ ||

  Śrī Brahmā said, “O Kṛṣṇa! As long as the jīva does not become lovingly devoted to you, the affection and attachment in his heart are thieves, his home a prison and his infatuations like shackles.” In the Vaiṣṇava-Toṣaṇī commentary on this verse, the following is written: tatra nirupādhi-premāspadasyātmano’py ātmatvena tvam eva rāgasya svābhāvika-parama-yogyāśrayaḥ. atas tal-lakṣaṇa-nija-svāminam anupalabhyeva bhramann asau janānāṁ śubha-vāsanā-rūpāṁ tad-bhajana-sāmagrīṁ haraṁś caura eva tatas tad-anuvartino’pi tādṛśāḥ. atha gṛhamayo viṣayo’py avaśiṣṭa-daṇḍanāyaiva kārāgārī-kṛtaḥ syāt. tat-pādānusmaraṇa-virodhi bodha-pradatvāt. moho’py asau tena tenāvasthā-vaiśiṣṭyaṁ prāptas tatra svayaṁ nigaḍāyate. Brahmā said, “O Lord! You are the soul of the jīva’s soul, which is the receptacle for pure love, and you are the only suitable recipient of that love. Therefore, when restless, wandering people are unable to get such a master for themselves, their attachments steal like thieves the ingredients for worshipping you (in the form of their desires for auspiciousness) and leave them impoverished. When those attachments are pursued, charity, kindness and other functions of the heart become polluted. The dark well of household life, filled with harmful sense-enjoyments, becomes for them a place to suffer punishment, like a prison, because household life gives them a mentality that is inimical to remembrance of you. Having obtained such a peculiar condition, their infatuations also bind them like iron fetters.” All this shall be understood to be the poisonous result of contact with information about topics unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. 

  Āna kathā means giving up discussions about sense-objects in the company of those attached to worldly pleasures and continuously hearing and chanting about topics related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the company of devotees. By doing this, the sādhaka receives troubles related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which are praiseworthy and desirable, instead of āna byathā, or terrible, unbearable worldly troubles. This means that soon after obtaining love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, if the sādhaka does not see Śrī Kṛṣṇa or get his direct sevā, he is blessed with the pain of separation. Even though externally the pain of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa appears to be agony, if one considers the matter carefully, he will instead understand it to be most pleasing. For this reason, the heart longs to suffer the pain of kṛṣṇa-viraha. This is because prema has two forms: one is union; the other, separation. The premika devotees always remain submerged in the joy of union with Śrī Kṛṣṇa as well as in the great ocean of misery caused by separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Worldly happiness and misery cannot give any realization of this transcendental happiness and misery. The reason is that the joy and suffering of the world are mutually competing things. At the time of joy, there is no experience of suffering; at the time of suffering, there is no perception of joy. The premika-bhaktas simultaneously relish the joy of union with their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa and suffer the burning pain of separation from him. bahir biṣa-jvālā haya, antara ānandamaya, kṛṣṇa-premāra adbhuta carita (Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.50).

  Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya then says, “Wherever there are other discussions and other troubles, nāhi yena yāi tathā: I don’t go there.” He describes the simple, natural way to avoid contact with subject matters other than Kṛṣṇa: tomāra caraṇa-smṛti sāje. “O Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa! The memory of your lotus feet always shines in my heart.” Later on, in verse sixty-one, he says, manera smaraṇa prāṇa. Remembrance of Śrī Bhagavān is the life of the mind; without it, the mind is as though dead. Jackals, dogs and so on will not go near a living body, but they will gladly eat a lifeless one. In the same way, lust, anger, greed or topics unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot disturb the mind occupied by the remembrance of Śrī Hari, but they will gladly carry off the mind that does not remember him. Therefore, the following has been written in Śrī Garuḍa-Purāṇa:

ekasminn apy atikrānte muhūrte dhyāna-varjite |

dasyubhir muṣitenaiva yuktam ākrandituṁ bhṛśam ||

  “People cry piteously if all their possessions are stolen by thieves. In the same way, it is proper for a sādhaka to cry if he forgets Śrī Hari for even a moment.” By saying that remembrance of Śrī Hari is the life of the mind or its be-all and end-all, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has asked that the splendor of his own heart and mind be increased.

  After praying to be blessed with attachment for singing of Śrī Hari’s qualities in the association of great souls, he says, abirata abikala, tuyā guṇa kala kala, gāi yena satera samāje. “O Lord! Please be merciful and allow me to continuously sing of your pastimes and qualities with a sweet voice and undistracted mind in the company of great souls.” It should be understood that to be blessed with service to the great souls who sing melodiously about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and qualities, which are by nature a sweet and always delicious elixer for the heart and ears, is an even greater thing than getting Śrī Bhagavān himself. The reason is that by doing this, the sādhaka is blessed with Śrī Bhagavān’s incomparable compassion along with the compassion of the great souls. In the gopī-gītā of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the vrajadevīs have given the name bhūridā (magnanimous) to one who sings of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. The poet Śrī Jagadānanda has written that Śrī Rādhārāṇī promises, āmāra kathā bale yei, āmāra matana haya sei, basiyā kahinu bṛndābane: “Whoever tells my stories becomes like me and resides in Vṛndāvana.” At the end of Śrī Bhagavad-Gītā (18.68-69), Śrī Kṛṣṇa said the following to Śrī Arjuna:

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati |

bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ ||

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ |

bhavitā na ca me tasmād anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi ||

  “Whoever teaches this most esoteric śāstra to my bhaktas undoubtedly attains the highest devotion and comes to me. Therefore, among mankind, no one on earth has been, is now or shall in the future be more dear to me.” By this, it has been demonstrated that one who speaks or sings to the bhaktas about Śrī Bhagavān’s names and pastimes is the most worthy recipient of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s love.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 39 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

নরোত্তম বড় দুঃখী,        নাথ! মোরে কর সুখী,

তোমার ভজন-সঙ্কীর্তনে ।

অন্তরায় নাহি যায়,        এই ত পরম ভয়,

নিবেদন করি অনুক্ষণে ॥ ৩৯ ॥

narottama baḍa duḥkhī,        nātha! more kara sukhī,

tomāra bhajana-saṅkīrtane |

antarāya nāhi yāya,        ei ta parama bhaya,

nibedana kari anukṣaṇe || 39 ||

     O Lord! I, Narottama, am very miserable; please make me happy by engaging me in your bhajana and saṅkīrtana. It is my greatest fear that these obstacles will not go away; therefore I pray to you at every moment.

Bhajana-Saṅkīrtana 

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya next prays for bhajana in the form of saṅkīrtana, congregational chanting, by saying, narottama baḍa duḥkhī, nātha! more kara sukhī, tomāra bhajana-saṅkīrtane. “O Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa! This Narottama is a very miserable person. Please rescue him from his terrible suffering. The word nātha means ‘protector or preserver.’ Therefore, after protecting him from misery, preserve him with happiness.” If Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies, “What makes you happy; can you say?” In response, he says, tomāra bhajana-saṅkīrtane. “My only happiness lies in your bhajana and nāma-saṅkīrtana; therefore, make me happy by giving me the blessed gift of your bhajana.” Filled with extreme humility, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya considers himself a worldly person. For the worldly people who are intoxicated by sense-enjoyment, this most helpful instruction is like an elixer for reviving the dead. Worldly people who have forgotten their true nature, infatuated by the mundane pleasures of eating, having sex and so on, think this to be the happiest of conditions. Though having obtained a human body, the receptacle for knowledge and intelligence, they themselves create the suffering they must endure in various kinds of miserable wombs and terrible hells. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya himself has said in verse eighty-two, biṣaya garalamaya, tāte māna sukhacaya, sei sukha duḥkha kari māna. If briefly considered, everyone can easily understand that the illusion of worldly enjoyment is the cause of various kinds of indescribable miseries. How can that be called happiness? It is easily deduced that this is the source of intense misery or trouble. According to Maharṣi Gautama’s Nyāya-Darśana, the cessation of suffering is called mukti. In his doctrine, there are twenty-one kinds of duḥkha or suffering. Because the body, the six senses, the six sense-objects and the six kinds of perception are the abodes of misery, they are referred to as duḥkha. Because sukha, happiness, is also subject to being transformed into misery, that is also duḥkha, and misery itself is duḥkha. These are the twenty-one kinds of duḥkha. In this doctrine, even happiness is considered to be misery. In fact, true happiness is not something of this material world. Therefore, it has been said,

sukha nāi kabhu e saṁsāre | sukha āche māyāra opāre ||

sukha bale tumi dekha yāre | se tomāya duḥkha dibāra tare ||

āche sukhera ākāra dhare | sarbātmā gilibāra tare ||

yemana keha nāginīre | puṣpa-mālā bale pare ||

tāra biṣe saba aṅga jāre | kebā bāñcābe tāre ||

sādhu dhanvantarī dhare | akapaṭe āśraya kare ||

jhāḍāo bāhire antare | tabe ḍubibe sukha-sāyare ||

     “There is never any happiness in this material world; happiness is beyond māyā. Whatever you see as happiness in this world is meant to give you misery. It has assumed the form of happiness to devour your entire being, just as if a person mistakes a snake for a flower garland, his entire body will burn from its poison. One who wants true happiness will sincerely accept the shelter of a sādhu, who like a doctor, will purify him within and without. In such a state, he will sink into the ocean of happiness.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, narottama baḍa duḥkhī. Suffering exists to one degree or another in all of us, but we don’t all understand its consequence. The experience of suffering is like a touchstone for a human life. By the touch of this suffering, the iron-like citta stained by sense-enjoyment becomes radiant like gold as the desire for bhakti appears. As a person continually experiences suffering, by the mercy of the great souls, he is able to extend his hand toward Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet, which are filled with happiness. In the end, he is blessed with joyful service to those lotus feet.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that true joy lies in śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana and saṅkīrtana. In the form, qualities and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is filled with joy and rasa, are found the full manifestations of that joy and rasa. By devoting himself to śravaṇa, kīrtana and the other limbs of bhajana, the bhakta continually tastes the unabated sweetness of the rasa of Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities, pastimes and so on. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has previously discussed the topic of bhajana, which should be understood as śravaṇa, kīrtana and the rest of the nine kinds of bhakti. In addition to that, he has also discussed saṅkīrtana. Though saṅkīrtana is included among the nine kinds of bhakti, he has specifically prayed for absorption in nāma-saṅkīrtana, implying its preeminence over all. We find the following in Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 4:70-71:

bhajanera madhye śreṣṭha naba-bidhā bhakti |

kṛṣṇa-prema kṛṣṇa dite dhare mahāśakti ||

tāra-madhye sarba-śreṣṭha–nāma-saṅkīrtana |

niraparādha-nāma haite haya prema-dhana ||

     “Among the different types of bhajana, the nine kinds of bhakti are the best. They bear the great power of being able to give Kṛṣṇa and love of Kṛṣṇa. Among them, nāma-saṅkīrtana is the best of all. From offenseless chanting of the Holy Names comes the treasure of prema.” When many people join in one place and loudly sing kīrtana, accompanied by śrī-khola, karatālas and so on, that is called saṅkīrtana. Good fortune comes to oneself, other people and even other mobile and immobile beings when nāma is heard. For this reason, saṅkīrtana is considered better than japa and other practices. Moreover, nāma-kīrtana accompanied by līlā-smaraṇa can also be called saṅkīrtana (samyak, or complete kīrtana). For Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhakas who perform bhajana on the path of rāga, there is a system of nāma-kīrtana combined with contemplation of līlā. By introducing his garāṇahāṭī style of music, Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has given form to the saṅkīrtana-rasa of nāma, guṇa, līlā and so on. Therefore, the following has been written: 

saṅkīrtanānandaja-mandahāsya-dantadyuti-dyotita-diṅmukhāya | svedāśrudhārā-snapitāya tasmai namo namaḥ śrīla-narottamāya ||

     “I bow again and again to Śrīla Ṭhākura Narottama. The luster of his teeth shines through his gentle smile born of the joy of saṅkīrtana and brightens all directions, and at the time of saṅkīrtana, all his limbs are bathed with an endless stream of sweat and tears.” Through this, we get an excellent introduction to the happiness Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya derives from saṅkīrtana.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya makes a very important statement: antarāya nāhi yāya, ei ta parama bhaya, nibedana kari anukṣaṇe. Bhakti-sādhanā has so much inconceivable power that, in the absence of aparādhas and other anarthas, it very quickly blesses the sādhaka with prema, the fruit of bhajana. According to the severity of his impediments, the sādhaka is delayed in attaining prema through his bhajana-sādhana. For those who take shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas and always carefully guard against aparādhas and other obstacles to bhajana, those obstacles never materialize. Because of this, they cautiously avoid those obstacles and remain engaged in bhajana. For careful sādhakas, there can be no impediments. If, by chance, an obstacle comes to them because of some kind of asat-saṅga or bad saṁskāra, they feel very repentant and resort more seriously to the mercy of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas and the shelter of Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet. In this way, they quickly cast off the impediment. The sādhaka’s sorrowful prayer at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Bhagavān constantly protects him from the influence of all obstacles. This sorrowful prayer causes Śrī Bhagavān’s mercy to flow toward the sādhaka, which results in the obstacle being removed. Therefore, he says, nibedana kari anukṣaṇe: “I pray to you at every moment.”